OnJune 19, 2012, Julian Assange, the Australian journalist who masterminded the anti-secrecy Web site WikiLeaks, took refuge at the EcuadoranEmbassy in London.He had been offered asylum by the South American nation afterfacing the threat of extradition from Britain to Sweden, where Assange faces charges related to sexual offenses.

Since that day, more than two years ago, Assange has stayed in a small apartment at the embassy.The media circus that once surrounded him has thinned, largely because of the passage of time but also because of the more spectacular leaks of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. Even so, Assange remains under constant surveillance of the British police and would face arrest if he stepped outside.

As such, Assange's announcement that he plans to leave the embassy "soon" was greeted with surprise Monday.What had changed about his situation?

When making his statement, Assange's biggest hope appeared to be that recent changes to British law could affect his potential extradition. These new laws significantly change how British courts deal with extraditions, in particular those in which charges in the country making the request have not been filed yet. That's important, as no charges have been filed against Assange in Sweden, though this is at least partiallybecause in Sweden suspects are charged only after they are arrested.

Legal experts seem sure that these changes cannot help Assange, however even if they could be applied, they could not be applied to a case retroactively. His extradition case is over: It concluded in 2012 with a decision by Britain's highest court. Assange may be hoping to explore other legal options, but they appear limited. Lawyer Carl Gardner, analyzing these options for his blog, writesthat the WikiLeaks founder's position is "legally hopeless." AHome Office spokeswoman confirmed this Monday, adding that Assange had "exhausted all appeal avenues."

If Assange's legal situation hasn't changed, his physical situation may have. Britain's Sky News was one of the first to speculate about Assange possibly leaving the embassy and attributed it to health reasons."A lot of the fighting spirit seems to have gone out of him. It's also been made clear from those around him that he's quite ill,"Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said early Monday."He's said to have a heart condition, a chronic lung complaint, bad eyesight, high blood pressure, all as a result of ... two years in the Ecuadorian Embassy."

These problems may be partially attributed to a lack of direct sunlight, which studies show can cause a serious health problems. Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2012, just months into his stay, Assange explained the practical issues of a life without access to the outside world: He explained how he ate as much fresh foodas he could, took Vitamin D supplements and even began using a UVB lamp(though he admits he ended up looking like a "boiled lobster").

In Monday's news conference, Assange said he would not be leaving the embassy for the reasons Sky News suggested, though he did allude to problems created by a lack of sunlight.Speaking to The Post, Kristinn Hrafnsson, a WikiLeaks spokesman, said that Assange's health was a "private affairbut added thatit has an effect on people to be in a confined space without being able to take a walk in a garden or be exposed to sunlight."

"Even prisoners are allowed an hour a day outdoors," Hrafnsson said.

All in all, it's hard to look at Assange's statement today and see how the situation has changed: He's still in the embassy, it's still deeplyunpleasant, and he will still be arrested the moment he walks outside. Unless some kind of deal can be reached with the British government, his only option is to walk outside and get arrested and sent to Sweden. The British government seems unwilling to do the former, and Assange has reiterated his refusal to do the latter. Unless one of these changes, it's hard to see how he could leave the embassy "soon."

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WorldViews: What Julian Assange means when he says he is leaving the Ecuadoran Embassy ‘soon’

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he will leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London 'soon', without providing further details.

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Julian Assange plans to walk out of Ecuadors embassy a free man, avoiding arrest and extradition to Sweden to face questioningabout sexual assault and rape allegations.

In an exclusive interview with Fairfax Media, Mr Assange said he anticipated legal reforms in Britain would facilitate a resolution of his circumstances and end the prospect of his extradition to Sweden.

Julian Assange (right) and Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino address media at the Ecuadorian embassy. Photo: AP

The WikiLeaks publisher flummoxed the international media on Monday by telling reporters in London that he will soon be leaving his refuge in Ecuadors London embassy, but not elaborating onhow long soon might be or the circumstances in which he will end his diplomatic asylum.

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I can confirm I am leaving the Ecuadorian embassy soon, Mr Assange said at a joint press conference with Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino.

Mr Assanges remarks were preceded by a flood of speculation by international media and on Twitter that health problems were about to force him to surrender to British police.

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Julian Assange plans to leave Ecuadorian embassy a free man after changes to UK laws

Published August 18, 2014

Aug. 18, 2014 - Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, left, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at a press conference at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Assange confirmed he'll be "leaving the embassy soon." The Australian Assange fled to the embassy in 2012 to escape extradition to Sweden, where he's wanted for sex crimes.AP

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told reporters Monday he will leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he sought refuge two years ago "soon," but his spokesman later clarified that wouldnt happen unless his extradition issues are resolved.

Assange, 43, made the surprise comments during a press conference at the embassy in London, following a meeting with Ricardo Patino, Ecuadors foreign minister. When asked about speculation that the Australian was ready to leave the embassy to seek medical treatment, Assange declined to answer directly, instead pointing to Kristinn Hrafnsson, the WikiLeaks spokesman, who was in the back of the room.

"He said I can confirm that I am leaving the embassy soon, but perhaps not for the reasons that (news media) are saying," Assange said, but refused to elaborate on his confusing statement.

Assange is seeking to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted over sex crimes allegations, or the U.S., where authorities are investigating his involvement in one of the largest information leaks in U.S. history.

Hrafnsson told reporters that what Assange meant to convey was that he was ready to leave the embassy as soon as the British government gave him the guarantees he was seeking, namely the right to travel freely to Ecuador where he has asylum.

"The plan is to leave as soon as the U.K. government decides to honor its obligations," Hrafnsson said, repeating Assange's long-held position.

Hrafnsson played down the chances of an imminent departure, saying the British government would first need to revise its position and allow him leave without arrest, which it has repeatedly refused to do. Assange had no intention of handing himself over to the police, Hrafnsson added.

In response to a question about his health, Assange complained about the embassys cramped quarters.

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Assange says he'll leave Ecuadorian embassy 'soon'

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(CNN) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said he'll leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in London "soon" after living there for two years to avoid extradition to Sweden.

"I can confirm I am leaving the embassy soon, but not for the reason you might think," Assange said at a news conference Monday.

He did not provide additional details but said he is suffering from health problems and would leave "when conditions are right."

However, WikiLeaks said, "his departure is not imminent."

Ecuador's foreign minister, who sat next to him, said his freedom is long overdue.

"The situation must come to an end ... two years is too long," Ricardo Patino said. "It is time to free Julian Assange. It is time for his human rights to be respected."

Swedish authorities want to question him over allegations that he raped one woman and sexually molested another.

He denies the allegations and describes them as politically motivated.

"I've not been charged with an offense in the UK or Sweden," he said Monday.

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Assange to leave embassy 'soon'

Julian Assange, 43, has been at Ecuadorian Embassy for two years He is wanted for questioning in Sweden over sexual assault allegations He claims policing the embassy costs Britain 240,000 a month WikiLeaks founder fears Sweden or UK will extradite him to the U.S.

By Sarah Oliver For Mail On Sunday

Published: 16:02 EST, 16 August 2014 | Updated: 20:03 EST, 16 August 2014

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When Julian Assange was in solitary confinement in HMP Wandsworth, he was permitted one hour daily of fresh air and proper exercise in the outside world. Since he was granted asylum within the Embassy of Ecuador two years ago yesterday, the WikiLeaks chief has known no such luxury.

One hour is the minimum demanded by the United Nations after visiting Assange last Monday, I can see the toll exacted by its absence.

His usually pale skin is now almost translucent and on his face it is so puffy it looks as if it is lifting off his naturally sharp cheekbones. He has a chronic cough which the installation of a humidifier to moisten the dry, air-conditioned atmosphere has done little to ease. His eyes have navy pools of shadow beneath them, suggesting that hes shifted from nocturnal to sleep-deprived.

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Wrath of the Wiki fugitive: Lack of sun has given him heart defect... He's not allowed to go to hospital... And ...

Chlo Grace Moritz gets her revenge in Carrie.

This week's fare includes a thoughtful doc about the debate over late-term abortions, Benedict Cumberbatch's star turn as Julian Assange, the Carrie remake, and more.

After Tiller Martha Shane and Lana Wilson's After Tiller is incredibly timely, as states like Texas and North Carolina continue to push forth increasingly restrictive abortion legislation. This doc focuses on the four (yes, only four) doctors in America who are able to perform late-term abortions all colleagues of Dr. George Tiller, assassinated in 2009 by a militant anti-abortionist. The film highlights the struggles of what's inherently a deeply difficult job; even without sign-toting (and possibly gun-toting) protestors lurking outside their offices, and ever-shifting laws dictating the legality of their practices, the situations the doctors confront on a daily basis are harrowing. We sit in as couples make the painful decision to abort babies with "horrific fetal abnormalities;" a rape victim feels guilt and relief after terminating a most unwanted pregnancy; a 16-year-old Catholic girl in no position to raise a child worries that her decision to abort will haunt her forever; and a European woman who decides she can't handle another kid tries to buy her way into the procedure. The patients' faces aren't shown, but the doctors allow full access to their lives and emotions heavy stuff. (1:25) Roxie. (Cheryl Eddy)

Broadway Idiot "I can't act, I can't dance ... compared to a lot of these people, I can't even sing," Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong admits, moments before he's seen taking the Broadway stage in the musical based on his band's American Idiot. (He played the character of St. Jimmy for stints in both 2010 and 2011.) Director Doug Hamilton's doc mixes concert, rehearsal, and full-on musical footage; interviews (with Armstrong, show director Michael Mayer, music supervisor Tom Kitt, and others); and behind-the-scenes moments to trace the evolution of American Idiot from concept album to Broadway show. Fans will feast on those behind-the-scenes moments, as when the band stops by Berkeley Rep where the show had its pre-Broadway workshop performances to hear new arrangements of their songs for the first time, or cast members prep to perform with Green Day at the Grammys. For everyone else, Broadway Idiot offers a slick, energetic, but not especially revealing look at the creative process. Good luck getting any of those catchy-ass songs out of your head, though. (1:20) Vogue. (Cheryl Eddy)

Carrie A high-school outcast (Chlo Grace Moritz) unleashes hell on her bullying classmates (and her controlling mother, played by Julianne Moore) in Kimberly Peirce's take on the Stephen King classic. (1:32)

Concussion Robin Weigert (Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy) stars in this tale of a lesbian housewife who pursues a new career as a prostitute after suffering a bump on the head. (1:36)

Escape Plan Extreme prison breaking (from, naturally, an "escape-proof" facility) with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, and Vincent D'Onofrio. (1:56)

The Fifth Estate After being our guide through the world of 1970s Formula One racing in Rush, Daniel Brhl is back serving that same role and again grumbling in the shadows cast by a flashier character's magnetism for a more recent real life story's dramatization. Here he's German "technology activist" Daniel Domscheit-Berg, who in 2007 began collaborating with the enigmatic, elusive Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) on WikiLeaks' airing of numerous anonymous whistleblowers' explosive revelations: US military mayhem in Afghanistan; Kenyan ruling-regime corruption; a Swiss bank's providing a "massive tax dodge" for wealthy clients worldwide; ugly truths behind Iceland's economic collapse; and climactically, the leaking of a huge number of classified U.S. government documents. It was this last, almost exactly three years ago, that made Assange a wanted man here and in Sweden (the latter for alleged sexual assaults), as well as putting US Army leaker Chelsea (ne Bradley) Manning in prison. The heat was most certainly on although WikiLeaks was already suffering internal woes as Domscheit-Berg and a few other close associates grew disillusioned with Assange's megalomania, instability, and questionable judgment. It's a fascinating, many-sided saga that was told very well in Alex Gibney's recent documentary We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks, and this narrative feature from director Bill Condon and scenarist Josh Singer feels disappointingly superficial by contrast. It tries to cram too information in without enough ballasting psychological insight, and the hyperkinetic editing and visual style intended to ape the sheer info-overload of our digital age simply makes the whole film seem like it's trying way too hard. There are good moments, some sharp supporting turns, and Estate certainly doesn't lack for ambition. But it's at best a noble failure that in the end leaves you feeling fatigued and unenlightened. (2:04) (Dennis Harvey)

Vinyl When the surviving members of a long-defunct, once-popular Welsh pop punk outfit reunite for a less lucky member's funeral, the squabbles that have kept them incommunicado for decades are forgotten with the help of lots of alcohol. They even jam together, and lo and behold, the hungover next morning reveals recorded evidence that they've still "got it." In fact, they've even thrown together an insanely catchy new song that would be a perfect comeback single. Only trouble is, when they shop it around to record companies (including their own old one), they're invariably told that no matter how good the music is, audiences today don't want old fogeys performing it. (That would be "like watching your parents have sex," they're told.) The all-important "tweens to twenties" demographic wants stars as young as themselves, only hotter. So Johnny (Phil Daniels) and company have the bright idea of assembling a quintet of barely-legal cuties to pose as a fake band and lipsynch the real band's new tune. Needless to say, both take off like wildfire, and eventually the ruse must be exposed. Sara Sugarman's comedy is loosely inspired by a real, similar hoax (pulled off by '80s rockers the Alarm), and might have dug deeper into satire of an industry that has seldom deserved mocking evisceration more than it does now. Instead, Vinyl settles for being a brisk, breezy diversion, likable if a bit formulaic though that single, "Free Rock 'n' Roll," really is catchy in an early Clash-meets-Buzzcocks way. (1:25) Roxie. (Dennis Harvey)

Zaytoun It's 1982 in war-torn Beirut, and on the semi-rare occasion that streetwise 12-year-old Palestinian refugee Fahed (Abdallah El Akal) attends school, he's faced with an increasing number of empty desks, marked by photos of the dead classmates who used to sit there. His own father is killed in an airstrike as Zaytoun begins. When an Israeli pilot (Stephen Dorff a surprising casting choice, but not a bad one) is shot down and becomes a PLO prisoner, Fahed's feelings of hatred give way to curiosity, and he agrees to help the man escape back to Israel, so long as he brings Fahed, who's intent on planting his father's olive sapling in his family's former village, along. It's not an easy journey, and a bond inevitably forms just as problems inevitably ensue when they reach the border. Israeli director Eran Riklis (2008's Lemon Tree) avoids sentimentality in this tale that nonetheless travels a pretty predictable predictable path. (1:50) (Cheryl Eddy)

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By Michael Hastings | January 18, 2012

It's a few days before Christmas, and Julian Assange has just finished moving to a new hide-out deep in the English countryside. The two-bedroom house, on loan from a WikiLeaks supporter, is comfortable enough, with a big stone fireplace and a porch out back, but it's not as grand as the country estate where he spent the past 363 days under house arrest, waiting for a British court to decide whether he will be extradited to Sweden to face allegations that he sexually molested two women he was briefly involved with in August 2010.

WikiLeaks Stratfor Emails: A Secrect Indictment Against Julian Assange?

Assange sits on a tattered couch, wearing a wool sweater, dark pants and an electronic manacle around his right ankle, visible only when he crosses his legs. At 40, the WikiLeaks founder comes across more like an embattled rebel commander than a hacker or journalist. He's become better at handling the media more willing to answer questions than he used to be, less likely to storm off during interviews but the protracted legal battle has left him isolated, broke and vulnerable. Assange recently spoke to someone he calls a Western "intelligence source," and he asked the official about his fate. Will he ever be a free man again, allowed to return to his native Australia, to come and go as he pleases? "He told me I was fucked," Assange says.

"Are you fucked?" I ask.

Assange pauses and looks out the window. The house is surrounded by rolling fields and quiet woods, but they offer him little in the way of escape. The British Supreme Court will hear his extradition appeal on February 1st but even if he wins, he will likely still remain a wanted man. Interpol has issued a so-called "red notice" for his arrest on behalf of Swedish authorities for questioning in "connection with a number of sexual offenses" Qaddafi, accused of war crimes, earned only an "orange notice" and the U.S. government has branded him a "high-tech terrorist," unleashing a massive and unprecedented investigation designed to depict Assange's journalism as a form of international espionage. Ever since November 2010, when WikiLeaks embarrassed and infuriated the world's governments with the release of what became known as Cablegate, some 250,000 classified diplomatic cables from more than 150 countries, the group's supporters have found themselves detained at airports, subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury, and ordered to turn over their Twitter accounts and e-mails to authorities.

The Runaway General: The Profile of Stanley McChrystal That Changed History, by Michael Hastings

Assange was always deeply engaged with the world and always getting into trouble. Born in a small town in Queensland, he spent much of his youth traveling around Australia with his mother and stepfather, who ran a theater company. As a teenager, he discovered computers his first was a Commodore 64 and became one of the world's foremost hackers, going by the name Mendax, Latin for "nobly untruthful." After breaking into systems at NASA and the Pentagon when he was 16, he was busted on 25 counts of hacking, which prodded him to go straight. But as he traveled the world, working as a tech consultant through much of the 1990s, he continued putting his computer skills to use ensuring freedom of information a necessary condition, he believes, for democratic self-rule.

"From the glory days of American radicalism, which was the American Revolution, I think that Madison's view on government is still unequaled," he tells me during the three days I spend with him as he settles into his new location in England. "That people determined to be in a democracy, to be their own governments, must have the power that knowledge will bring because knowledge will always rule ignorance. You can either be informed and your own rulers, or you can be ignorant and have someone else, who is not ignorant, rule over you. The question is, where has the United States betrayed Madison and Jefferson, betrayed these basic values on how you keep a democracy? I think that the U.S. military-industrial complex and the majority of politicians in Congress have betrayed those values."

In 2006, Assange founded WikiLeaks, a group of hackers and activists that has been dubbed the first "stateless news organization." The goal, from the start, was to operate beyond the reach of the law, get their hands on vital documents being censored by governments and corporations, and make them available to the public. After a series of initial successes publishing leaks about Iceland, Kenya and even a Pentagon document warning of WikiLeaks Assange rocked the U.S. military in April 2010 with the release of "Collateral Murder," a video that revealed an American helicopter in Iraq opening fire on unarmed civilians, killing two journalists and several others. He quickly followed up with the release of hundreds of thousands of classified files related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, creating an international firestorm. But soon after he began releasing the diplomatic cables, which were widely credited with helping to spark the Arab Spring, he was detained and imprisoned after spending a week with two female supporters in Stockholm, entangling him in a yearlong legal battle to win his own freedom.

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Julian Assange: The Rolling Stone Interview by Michael ...

Anti-secrecy activist and Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange speaks during a live video-conference in Mexico city, on August 7, 2014.

Snowden, a former US intelligence operative who is wanted by the United States on espionage charges, was granted three-year residency by Moscow, allowing him to travel abroad, his lawyer said.

"Of course our advice is that he be extremely cautious in doing so for his physical security," Assange, a Snowden supporter, said in a videoconference held at a freedom of speech forum in Mexico City.

Appearing with a beard and long white hair, Assange has been holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London for more than two years as he fights a Swedish arrest warrant over sexual assault allegations.

The 43-year-old Australian fears that if he goes to Sweden he will be sent to the United States to face charges for publishing classified material.

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Julian Assange Urges Edward Snowden to be Careful if He Leaves Russia

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says the Australian government is not just gagging the Australian press, it is blindfolding the Australian public.

SYDNEY: An Australian courts gag order banning the reporting of allegations against several foreign political leaders in a major bribery scandal was slammed as unacceptable by activists and media groups.

Details of the suppression order, imposed by the Victorian Supreme Court in Melbourne on June 19, were revealed by whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.

It relates to an ongoing investigation into allegations that Asian officials and their families were bribed to secure contracts to print their currencies by a company, Securency, that is linked to Australias central bank.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said the gag was issued after the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stepped in, arguing that publication of the names could affect national security and international relations.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called it the largest blanket suppression order since 1995, when Australia sought to prevent the publication of details of a joint United States-Australian intelligence spying operation against the Chinese embassy in Canberra.

With this order, the worst in living memory, the Australian government is not just gagging the Australian press, it is blindfolding the Australian public, said the former computer hacker, himself an Australian.

This is not simply a question of the Australian government failing to give this international corruption case the public scrutiny it is due.

The concept of national security is not meant to serve as a blanket phrase to cover up serious corruption allegations involving government officials, in Australia or elsewhere.

France-based Reporters Without Borders spokesman Benjamin Ismail said the order spoke volumes about the current level of transparency in Australia.

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Activists, media groups slam Australian court’s gag order